Hunza Lake in Attabad - potential disaster in the making

[xenia]

Rs100m Punjab grant for Hunza lake victims

By Zulfiqar Ali Khan
Tuesday, 25 May, 2010
HUNZA: Pakistan Muslim League-N chief Nawaz Sharif has urged the nation to help the people affected by the Hunza lake created by the Jan 4 landslide.

During a visit on Monday to a camp of displaced people in Altit, he urged the government to take immediate steps to restore the Karakoram Highway to revive local economy.

In this connection, he said, help should be sought from China and Switzerland which had vast experience of dealing with such situations. Mr Sharif said private investors should be encouraged to run helicopter and ferry services for the stranded people of Gojal and for trade with China.

He said the focus of efforts should be on rehabilitating people and reducing the risk of a disaster downstream. On behalf of the Punjab government he announced a compensation of Rs500,000 for the family of each person killed by the landslide.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif announced a grant of Rs100 million for rehabilitation of the affected families of Attabad.

He said consultations would be held with the government of Gilgit-Baltistan so that the funds were used on productive projects. He said children of the affected families would be provided free education and accommodation in Punjab or Gilgit-Baltistan.

He said the PML-N had sent 16 truckloads of relief goods and a team of doctors would soon reach Hunza.

The Sharif brothers had an aerial look for the 19km lake.

Meanwhile, people of the worst affected Gojal tehsil, who have been cut off from the rest of the country, were disappointed that their area had been ignored by the PML-N leaders.

Talking to this correspondent, one of them said the lake had submerged large parts of Ayeenabad, Shishkat, Gulmit, Ghulkin and Hussaini villages in the tehsil, but the neither Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani nor the PML-N chief bothered to go there.

He said the authorities were concentrating on the threat to downstream areas while the lake was fast submerging settlements upstream.

Meanwhile, the water level in Hunza lake continued to rise and submerged another 10 houses and a school in Shishkat and Gulmit.


DAWN.COM | Front Page | Rs100m Punjab grant for Hunza lake victims

 

[alibaz]

may be its a gift from nature , members excuse my knowledge this could be silly but is it imposible to build some thing to let this lake stay as it is ?? . 26kms of fresh water , water dept can make a lot of money from it

Brother I wish this could have been possible but it is impossible.

 

[rohailmalhi]

The same thing i was thinking abt this natural disaster .Make a dam or sumthing ,use the water to generate electrcity .is it possible.
Compansate all the effected .with new homes and land .

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

The same thing i was thinking abt this natural disaster .Make a dam or sumthing ,use the water to generate electrcity .is it possible.
Compansate all the effected .with new homes and land .

If you read the articles posted by ajtr, Pakistani officials talk about how lakes created in this manner do not last. If nothing else, the fear is that the dam might collapse too quickly from erosion due to the water flow through the spillway as well as the multiple seepage channels underneath.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

More landslides may damage Attabad lake banks​

Punjab medical team leaves for Gilgit

Thursday, May 27, 2010
By Noor Aftab

ISLAMABAD: The small-scale landslides in some areas may break banks of incidentally formed large lake at Attaabad on the Hunza River and hinder the flow of water towards the spillway, recently constructed for controlled release of the water from the lake.

The sources has said that the further landslides are exacerbating the threat that the lake may burst its banks and result in submerging of many more villages along the Hunza River.“Landslides and rains can break banks of the lake and that would be a difficult situation for relevant departments which are already facing a daunting task of controlled release of water through the spillway,” they said.

An official who requested anonymity told this reporter that various teams visited places including Bargo in Gilgit where further landslides had occurred but they were of the view that these landslides could not pose any danger or hinder flow of water anywhere in the area.

According to the local people, the mountains in some areas have begun to shed more rocks and mud into the lake that can break its banks as well as submerge surrounding areas.Deputy Commissioner of Ghanche District Syed Hadi told “The News” that landslide occurred on May 23 after which they worked day and night to avoid any hindrance in water flow of Shyouk River.

“We are currently engaged in relief work and providing food items to the affected people. A survey would be initiated to assess the scale of damages after which a compensation package would be announced for the affected people,” he said.

Hunza-Nagar is one of seven districts in Gilgit-Baltistan that has borders with AJK, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Afghanistan and China.Experts claimed that the lake water would reach spillway on May 28 that would result in overflow of lake’s water. The local administration has totally banned entry into 35 villages in Hunza-Nagar and directed the people not to visit these places to avoid any untoward incident.

Gulmit Bridge, an important connecting route between Gulmit, Goharabad and Shishk areas, is no more in use and rising water has submerged many houses, markets, a bank, hotels, fields and wood factories in the area.

The concerned authorities have also finalized a plan to protect the areas in case of water outburst in the lake including Dasu, Kozial, Kot Kamila, Seu, Kazpora, Sazin, Thothi, Harbin, Kairo, Khobal and Sri Gaigal. They also directed the provincial government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in the light of latest survey report to prepare contingency plan for Shangla, Mansehra, Kala Dhaka and Kohistan.

Mir Waqar Ahmad, Assistant Commissioner and in charge of relief camps in Gilgit region, said a survey team visited affected area in Bargo where landslide occurred but situation was quite normal there and there was no danger of any blockage in the river.

APP adds: Meanwhile, an 18-member specialist doctors team headed by Additional Director Health Services Punjab Dr Mubasher Malik left for Gilgit from Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Airport (SBBA) along with a consignment of medicines worth Rs2 million for providing medical aid and treatment to the affected people of Attaabad lake and adjoining areas.

Director Health Services/EDO Health Rawalpindi Dr Zafar Iqbal Gondal and officers of district administration were present at Shaheed Benazir Bhutto airport for seeing off the team. Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif especially provided his helicopter for carrying the team of doctors and consignment of medicines for the affected people from Islamabad airport to Gilgit.

The team comprising on total 18 male and female doctors, nine each from Jinnah Hospital and Sir Gangaram Hospital Lahore had reached Rawalpindi from Lahore late Tuesday night.

The medical team of Punjab Health Department will establish its base camp at Gilgit and will send different teams of doctors to the affected areas and camps of affected people in Hunza to provide medical aid and treatment facilities.

More landslides may damage Attabad lake banks

 

[Durrak]

its a vry hard situation for the people of hunza
may ALLAH bless dem

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Attabad Lake water reaches spillway​

Upadated on: 27 May 10 05:08 PM
Staff Report

HUNZA: The administration prohibits entry into the lower areas of Hunza Nagar for two days as water from the Attabad lake reaches the threshold of the spillway, said sources Thursday.

According to the Gilgit-Baltistan administration, any journey on the Hunza river is banned and so is the entry into Ganesh Bridge.

The civil and army officials have started monitoring the spillway through satellite cameras.

Sirens will be sounded half an hour prior to the outflow of water.

The distance between the level of lake and spill way is not 6.5 feet.

More areas of Gilgit and Shishkat have been inundated as water level rises.

Victims of the flood are forced to live under the open sky.

The relief teams have been stranded in northern Hunza as the helicopter service is discontinued. SAMAA

.:: SAMAA - Attabad Lake water reaches spillway

 

[ajpirzada]

this has turned out to be a quite big disaster.

life disturbed due to villages goin underwater
and trade disturbed due to karakorum highly

 

[sparklingway]

For detailed insight into the construction of the spillway and genuine commentary on the disaster control efforts from a foreign perspective, a Professor in the Department of Geography at Durham University runs a blog where he has been constantly following the whole issue.

Dave's Landslide Blog

 

[Comet]

May Allah protect us all from this disaster. I am very much worried about Tarbella Dam. It is lifeline for Pakistan.

 

[rohailmalhi]

May Allah protect us all from this disaster. I am very much worried about Tarbella Dam. It is lifeline for Pakistan.

Dont worry about Tarbela Army .I dont think anything gonna happen to it.

 

[Evil Flare]

Water now passing via spillway ..

24 to 36 hours are critical ...

 

[alibaz]

May ALLAH bless us all and create ease for us.

All brothers and sisters are requested to pray for affected people and their property.

 

[Evil Flare]

HUNZA: The water started flowing out from spillway of Attabad Lake with gradually increasing pressure, whereas dam burst could take 30 to 35 hours.

Ahmedabad village would be the first to get affected by the flood. Then the water would enter into villages of Gunesh and Shumair.

Later, Diamer and Kohistan areas of Gilgit would face the wrath of water before it flew into Tarbela Dam.

Chairman NDMA General Nadeem Ahmad told Geo News that spillway was built in the first phase and in the second phase; water has been started spilling through spillway.

He said initial spill of water will not be more than 300 cusecs, adding the rescue workers are ready to confront any situation.

Chairman NDMA said helicopters will roam in the area to keep an eye on the situation and prevent human losses. Evacuation has been completed from the area and announcements have been made from the mosques to stay at safer places.

In case of lake burst and flooding, Hunza will be the first to be affected followed by Nagar. Flooding could also damage parts of Karakoram Highway.

 

[ajtr]

Its about 1.2 MAF of water that is going to come down that valley.
This is equal to about 6 Baglihars including dead level or about 40 Baglihars WRT to live capacity.Tarbela should hold. Question is about the silt dam.There is a small town called 'Ahmedabad' 8.5 Kms down stream is in real danger. further downstream about 14 kms from the Hunza landslide dam lie the towns of Faisabad, Altit fort, Karimabad, Sultanabad which again are again in danger of being to be swept away by the wall of water that'll approach them.If that landslide dam on the Hunza gives way all of a sudden, apart from 50 odd towns and villages, the city of Gilgit will see its low lying areas underwater.

The flood water is then going to go to chilas to the Bhasha dam site

Tarbela is too far downstream to be affected much, except that a lot of water and silt will fill its reservoir, further damaging its storage capacity. Tarbela doesn't have desilting gates it seems(not so sure citation needed?) , its storage capacity will be affected, power generation will have to be stopped if there is too much silt coming in, to protect the trubines.